Hair-curling device



Nov. 4, 1941. w. K. FAlRcHlLD 2,261,460

- I HAIR-CURLING DEVICE Filed Jan. 17, 1940 2 sheets-sheet 2 A TTORNEYK.

Patented Nov. 4, 1941 Uiisn sr'rss PATENT OFFICE',

HAIR-CURLING DEVICE Wayne K. Fairchild, Renton, Wash. A. Application January 17, 1940, Serial No. 314,298

Claims.

This invention relates to hair-curling devices and for its principal object aims to provide a new and advanced curler of relatively inexpensive construction which is convenient to use and which is particularly characterized by the ease with which the same is disengaged from a tress of hair curled thereon. It is a further and a particular object to provide an improved pin for holding the produced curl upon its disengagement from the curler.

With these foregoing and still further objects and advantages in View, the nature of which will appear in the course of the following description and claims, the invention consists in the novel construction of a curler, in the adaptation and combination of its parts, and in the novel form of a curl-holding pin as illustrated in the drawings, hereinafter described, and finally set forth in the appended claims.

In said drawings- Figure 1 is a View in side elevation indicating the now preferred embodiment of my curler with a lock of hair thereon and representing the pin for such curl in the position which the same occupies preparatory to its engagement with the curl.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof, deleting the curl, with a part of the curler broken away and shown in horizontal section.

Fig. 3 is a View in longitudinal vertical section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2 with the pin removed.

Fig. 4 is an end elevational View of the assembled curler and pin, taken to an enlarged scale.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary horizontal section of the curler alone, taken on line 5--5 of Fig. 4; and

Figs. 6 and '7 are top plan views of the pin, the former illustrating the pin in the performance of its curl-holding oiiioe.

Referring by numeral to the illustrated parts, it will be seen that I employ a rod IB of cylindrical form desirably knurled at its rear, as at II, and having its opposite or frontal end diametrically slotted to producea kerf I2 which extends into proximity of the rods mid-length and therefrom is prolonged rearwardly along each side by relatively shallow channels I3, these channels being of a length generally corresponding to the length of my hereinafter described pin I4 and, with the kerf, being of a width Very slightly exceeding that of the pin to permit the free tracking movement of the latter longitudinally of the kerf into and from seating engagement in the channels.

Further characterizing my curler-rod andcut into the upper wallrof said frontal end is a longitudinal groove I5, and seating vin this groove is the tweezer arm I6 of a leverI6 medially ful- 5 crumed as at I'I and having its other arm I6 depressible by the finger of the operator in oppo-l sition to a compression spring I8. Said arm I6 is desirably tapered and the slot or groove I5 therefor, in both its depth and width, somewhat 1Q exceeds the toe dimensions of the arm to permit a strand of hair to be caught under the toe without thereby bringing the upper level of the arm above the perimeter of the rod. The arrangement, in more particularity, is such as to permit the operator to depress the arm I6 sufficient to release the hair from the tweezer toe without, by so doing, expanding the curl which has been wound about the rod, the principal advantage being to adapt the device to the making of tight as well as loose curls by reason of the ease withwhich either may be removed from the rod.

Referring now to the pin I4, it will be seen that I form the same from a single piece of at spring wire bent toy a general U shape to produce paralleling leg elements 20-2I connected by a more particularity, is desirably curved outwardly at its free end to form an admission throat for the hair and between this throat and the bend 25 is or may be bowed outwardly, the termini of this bow being yieldingly urged by the resiliency of the wire to bear against the shank. The span between the two shank elements of said pin cor- -responds to the spacing between thevseats vtherefor of the curler-rod, the inwardly projecting bends 25 functioning by the spring characteristic of the pin to yieldingly hold the pin on its seat.

In use, the free end of the hair to be curled is first caught under the toe of the tweezer arm I6 and the operator then turns the curler-rod in the conventional manner to wind the hair 5,0 about the rod. Following this curling action the pin I4 is pressed forwardlyfrom its seat and longitudinally of the kerf to have the hair at diametrically opposite sides of the curl enter the twin throats of the pin and occupy the space between the prong and shank of eachleg element, whereupon the arm I6" of the lever I6 is depressed to free the hair, and the curl, with its supporting pin, is slid from the rod. As best seen from an inspection of Fig. 6, the pin functions to better advantage than previous clips in that the curl, upon its release from the curlerrod, is permitted to unwind a maximum of a halfturn as distinguished from the full turn of the conventional pin, and is of further advantage in that the curl is more firmly supported against flattening. Of very leal import, also, is the ease with which the pin is applied to the curl through the guiding function of the kerf and its channel prolongations.

It is believed obvious that numerous modifications might be resorted to and I therefore intend that no limitations be implied by reason of my foregoing detailed description of my illustrated preferred embodiment. It is expected that the language of the hereto annexed claims will be given an interpretation commensurate with the degree to which the art is advanced.

What I claim is:

1. In hair-curling devices, in combination: a cylindrical rod bifurcated at one end with relatively shallow channels extending rearwardly along each side as prolongations of the slotforming bifurcation and having one of the branches peripherally grooved from the forward end to provide a longitudinal recess adapted to receive the end of a tress of hair to be curled; a lever fulcrumed between its ends to the rod with one arm seating in the recess and, upon application of the hair, overlying the latter, the other arrn of the lever projecting outwardly from the fulcrum whereby, through manual depression, to lift the first-named arm; and a spring opposing said manual depression for yieldingly holding the first-named arm in anchoring relation to the hair.

2. Hair-curling devices according to claim 1; and a curl-holding pin of spring wire produced to a general U shape of which each of the paralleling legs is turned upon itself to form an inner shank element and an overlying prong element and in which the shank of one leg is spaced from the shank of the other leg a distance corresponding to the span between the channels of the rod to have the Shanks seat therein, said curl-holding pin functioning, by movement forwardly from the channels, to engage a tress of hair wound about the rod.

'3. Hair-curling devices according to claim 1 wherein the hair-engaging arm of the lever is dimensionally such, in relation to the depth and width of the recess, as to permit a tress of hair to be caught under the arm without raising the arm beyond the compass of the rod.

4. In hair-curling devices: the combination of a cylindrical rod grooved from its forward end to provide a longitudinal recess adapted to receive the end of a tress of hair to be curled; an anchoring arm pivotally carried by the rod to seat in said recess and, upon application of the hair, overlying the latter, said arrn having its pivot located at the rear end of the same and, considered in side elevation, having a longitudinal taper narrowing at the forward end to a thickness materially less than the depth of the recess to permit a tress of hair to be caught under said forward end of the arm without raising the arm beyond the compass of the rod; and a spring for said arm yieldingly holding the same in anchoring relation to the hair.

5. In hair-curling devices, in combination a cylindrical rod bifurcated at one end with relatively shallow channels extending rearwardly along each side as prolongations of the slotforrning bifurcation; a lever fulcrumed between its ends to the rod with one arm seating over one of the branches of the rod to engage the end of a tress of hair to be curled, the other arm of the lever projecting outwardly from the fulcrum whereby, through manual depression, to lift the first-named arm; a spring opposing said manual depression for yieldingly holding the first-named arm in anchoring relation to the hair; and a curl-holding pin of spring wire produced to a general U shape of which each of the paralleling legs is turned upon itself to form an inner shank element and an overlying prong element and in which the shank of one leg is spaced from the shank of the other leg a distance corresponding to the span between the channels of the rod to have the Shanks seat in said channels, said curl-holding pin, by movement forwardly from the channels, functioning to engage a tress of hair wound about the rod.

6. In hair-curling devices: in combination with a cylindrical rod bifurcated at one end and having relatively shallow channels extending rearwardly along each side as prolongations of the slot-forming bifurcation; a curl-holding pin of spring wire produced to a general U shape of which each of the paralleling legs is turned upon itself to form an inner shank element and an overlying prong element and in which the shank of one leg is spaced from the shank of the other leg a distance corresponding to the span between the channels of the rod to have the Shanks seat in said channels, said curl-holding pin, by movement forwardly from the channels, functioning to engage a tress of hair wound about the bifurcated end of the rod.

7. Curl-holding devices according to claim 6, the pin being characterized in that the wire is bent inwardly, at the juncture of the shank and prong elements, beyond the inner limits of the shank to form a bearing foot for yieldingly resisting dislodgment of the pin from the rod channels.

8. A curl-holding pin produced from one continuous piece of spring wire or equivalent material to a general U shape of which each of the paralleling legs is turned upon itself to form an inner shank element and an overlying prong element, both of said elements of each leg lying in a single plane common to the elements of the other leg, said elements being held by the spring characteristic thereof in touching relation, one to the related element of the respective legs.

9. A curl-holding pin for use with a haircurling rod having a channel extending longitudinaly along each side thereof, said pin being produced from one continuous piece of spring wire or equivalent material to a general U shape with each of the U legs being turned upon itself at the open end of the U to form an inner shank element and an outer overlying prong element, both the shank and prong elements of one leg lying in a plane common to the shank and prong elements of the other leg, said U figure, in order thereby to obtain a spring grip as between the free ends of the U legs and the floor surfaces of the channels of the curling rod, being characterized in that the span across the open end of the same is normally less than the length of the crossarm which connects thc root end of one with the root end of the other shank element of the U.

other leg, and said prong elements being characterized in that the free ends of Ithe same are held by the spring characteristic of the materialv in touching relation with the related shank and have their extreme tips turned outwardly to form a flaring throat.

WAYNE K. FAIRCHILD. 

